The present invention relates generally to the capturing of three dimensional data of the shape of an object, and more particularly involves the use of cameras (or imagers) and light projectors to capture images of an object and storing that data for processing into a three-dimensional model of the shape of the object. In a preferred embodiment the invention is useful in fitting amputees with properly fitted prosthetic devices.
It is known to sense the shape of body parts or limbs three-dimensionally by means of active laser scanners. See, for example, PCT Publication WO92/08175. It is also known to use photogrammetric systems employing passive stereo cameras and thin, tight fitting envelopes of material carrying a high contrast pattern worn over the body part being sensed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,126.
The present invention employs light projectors preferably mounted on or in a structure which is preferably in the shape of a ring, and cameras preferably mounted on or in the ring. The structure is placed over the object to be sensed and light planes are projected onto the object. The cameras and projectors are preferably electronically controlled to operate in a predetermined sequence to capture images of the light planes projected onto the object.
The structure is preferably connected to a computer and display. A processor analyzes the data captured to create a three-dimensional model of the object. To create the 3D model the invention preferably uses data taken from the two-dimensional edges of the light planes on the object from the cameras positioned at various angles to the object and converts the data to a 3D model.
In one preferred embodiment the 3D data model may be used in the manufacture of properly fitted prosthetic devices for an amputee. A prosthetist may operate the mobile apparatus of the present invention wherever the amputee may happen to be located. Data collected from the use of the apparatus of the present invention may be stored in a computer used by the prosthetist. Later the prosthetist may download the data stored on an amputee to be used in the manufacture of a properly fitted prosthetic device for the amputee.
Properly fitting an amputee with a prosthetic device is important to the comfort and health of the amputee as well as to the usefulness of the prosthetic device. An improperly fitted prosthetic device can cause discomfort to the amputee, and can cause sores or blisters to develop on or near the amputee's stump. By mapping the various contours of an amputee's stump in a three-dimensional data model that can later be downloaded, a manufacturer of prosthetic devices can produce a better fitting prosthetic device for the amputee that recognizes and accommodates substantially the same contours of the amputee's stump.
The present invention may be used directly on an amputee's stump or in association with a covering or liner worn over the stump. There are very few limits on the use of the present invention. It is really only limited in its use by the size of the structure and the object being sensed. The object needs to be able to fit in the structure about which the cameras and projectors are arranged.